1. Rahul Gandhi to participate in protest against ‘votes theft’ in Bengaluru on Aug 4

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who recently claimed that his party has figured out the modus operandi of the “votes theft” by studying a Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka, will participate in a protest in Bengaluru on August 4 and submit a representation to the Election Commission officials here. Amid the raging row over the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha had made this claim, on July 23.

“In Karnataka, we have found out ‘bhayankar chori (massive theft)‘. I will show it in black and white to you and the Election Commission…” the former Congress president had said. Following Gandhi’s statement, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah too had alleged that in several constituencies, Congress workers had reported sudden and suspicious additions of new voters, while names of long-time voters were removed without justification.

2. PM mentions fort with ‘world’s longest cannon’ in Mann Ki Baat

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for mentioning the Bahmani fort in Kalaburagi in the July 27 episode of Mann Ki Baat, archaeologists and researchers from north Karnataka have urged the PM to take steps for the restoration and conservation of the 600-year-old monument.

The fort houses the second largest mosque in Asia, renowned for its unique architectural features, as well as the world’s longest cannon (Bara Gazi Toph) that measures 29 feet in length and has a circumference of 7.6 feet. Despite their historical and cultural significance, the Bahmani fort and the Jama Masjid have been largely ignored by the Archaeology Department for years.

3. Karnataka approves cleft care mentorship programme in State-run hospitals

To enhance the capacity of State-run hospitals to perform cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries, Karnataka has approved a ‘Cleft Care Mentorship programme’. Cleft lip and cleft palate are among the most common congenital anomalies affecting children in the State. However, there exists a gap in the availability of adequately trained maxillofacial surgeons in government hospitals.

At present, most cleft lip and cleft palate cases identified by the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) team or District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) are referred to empanelled private health facilities and NGOs for corrective surgery. Besides, only around 20 procedures have been conducted under the Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK) scheme over the last five years.

4. WATCH | Shivanasamudra waterfalls come alive in all their glory following surge in outflow from dams

Revival of monsoon in the catchment areas of the rivers Cauvery and the Kabini, and the consequent release of water from the Krishnaraja Sagar and Kabini reservoirs, which are full, have brought alive the visual splendour of the famous Shivanasamundra waterfalls. The waterfalls are about 75 km from Mysuru, and about 130 km from Bengaluru.

Tourist footfall has increased in recent days given the substantial increase in water released from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) and the Kabini reservoirs upstream. Historically, the falls tend to be a feast for the eyes when the combined outflow from the KRS and Kabini reservoirs ranges between 1 to 1.5 lakh cusecs.

5. Non-profit brings out report listing high-potential opportunities for climate entrepreneurs

The Sustainability Mafia (SusMafia), a non-profit community of over 100 climate-tech leaders, has launched a ‘Climate-Tech Opportunity Map’ featuring startup-ready ideas which, it claims, could collectively reduce up to 72% of the carbon emissions in India.

The report presents a curated map of 25 high-potential climate-tech opportunities across four critical sectors for India — energy, industry, food & agriculture, and water — and calls on early-stage entrepreneurs to act on the most urgent challenges across these sectors.